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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet-2. T. L. SMITH (8v W. S. D OIG.

`0AN SEAMING MACHINE. Y No. 294,520. I Patented Mar.' 4, 1884.

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N. PETERS. mmlmgnpmr. Namur. D. (L

NITED STAT-ns i PATENT OFFICE..

THOMAS L. SMITH AND WILLIAM S. DOIG, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

CAN-SEAVIING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part .of Letters Patent No. 294,520, dated March 4, 1884-.`

Application filed August 1, 1883. (No model.) f`

vhead is then closed in against the body. In

operating such machines rapidly and economically, it is necessary to employ some means for guiding the can-body into the channeled head while the latter rests on the die or bed of the seaming or squeezing machine; and."

this is the more necessary where the cans are square, as the bodies of these are generally irregular and out of square when they come to the machine. Many devices have been proposed andl employed for thus squaring and guiding the can-body, sothat it may enter the channeled head properly-as, for' example, that shown in our Patent No. 273,774, of March 13, 1883; and these have worked quite well, but all of them, so far as we are aware, have employed. guides made up of movable sections, and have had more or less complicated devices for moving said sections out and in. In our present invention we seek to avoid the expense of construction and the complexity of the usual devices for this purpose by making the guide in substantially one piece from steel or other suitable elastic material, as will be hereinafter described.

We have not deemed it necessary to fully illustrate and describe theprdinary seaming or squeezing machine employed universally for 'seaming square-bodied cans, as these machines are well known. One is fully illustrated and described in our former patent before mentioned. W'e have therefore only shown such parts of said machine 'as operate in conjunction with our improved guide.

In the drawings, Figure l is a vertical section of the upper portion or bed'of the ordinary squeezing-machine and our improved guide mounted thereon, and Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig. l shows the can head and body in position; but these are omitted in Fig. 2. In order to show the levers for operating the squeezing-jaws, which usually operate diagonally on the can, (as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2,) we have supposed the section of the machine-bed in Fig. l to be taken in the plane of these levers.

Let A represent the bed of the squeezingmachine; B B, the jaws for closing the seam, -commonly called the squeezer-jaws, B B, the operati rig-levers, and C the bed or die up'- on which the can-head' rests. On the bed of the machine, over the sliding squeezer-jaws, is secured a metal bed-frame, D, and to the inner face of the square opening in this frame is secured our improved guide E. This guide is steel, cut partly through at intervals and bent into the form of a square, as shown in Fig. 2. The sides of this guide are slightly inclined to form a hopper, and the lower edges are turned' back to form a roll, a.

In Fig. l we have shown the can-head b in place on its die or bed C, and when in this position the pendent end of the guide E extends in slightly over the upturned edge of the iiange on the 'margin of said head b. The head is placed by pressing it down, the guide E yielding slightly to permit it to pass, and then re turning to its normal position, as shown in Fig. 1. The can-body F is inserted in the usual way, and it is guided into the channel in the head by the guide E. Should it be a little out of square, asis likely to be the case, the guide E will square it, so that its lower end will enter the channel in the head. As the body is very flexible, it will require very little pressure to square it, and the guide E will be made stiff enough for this purpose. After the can-body is in place, the squeezer-jaws are I brought up to close the seam in the usual way. The can may then be lifted out without interference from the guide E, as the closing of the seam leaves avery slight projecting flange beyond the sides of the can-body. If, however, the projecting flange of the can-body made by the seam should strike the rolled lower edge, a, of the guide, the latter will yield landpermit the can to pass.

In order to enable the operator to the more made by preference from a strip of thin sheet- IOS readily place the can -body preliminary to pressing-it down into the head, we prefer to provide an auxiliary rigid guide, G, which extends across the bael; of the opening Ain the frame D and part way along the sides of the same. This device, however, is only a convenienee, and may or may not be employed.

In Fig. l we have represented the section of the guide E by a thick black line, in order to distinguish it from the sections of the can head and body. Our obj ect in rolling or turning back the lower edge, a, of the guide E is to prevent the slight flange formed by the seam on the can from catching under the lower edge of said guide. The roll a prevents this, as the lange 011 the can tends to wedge the guide outward.

Our guide E might be made up of four distinct plates of steel; but we prefer to make it as described. The cuts at the corners are sul'licient to permit the lower edges to move or play independent-ly in placing the can-head. By this construction-we avoid all the complex operative mechanism used in other machines for this purpose, andproduee equally good results.

Having thus described our invention, we claim- I. In a can-scanning machine, as a means for squaring the body of the can and guiding it into the channel in the head, the elastic hopper-like guide E, constructed and arranged substantially as set forth.

2. In a ean-seaniing machine, as a means for squaring the canbody and guiding it into the channel formed in the head, the hopper-like guide E, formed of thin elastic metal with a roll, a, formed on its pendent edge, and arranged to operate substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with the seaming-jaws of a can-scaming machine, and the die on which the can-head rests, of the bed-frame D and the guide E, constructed substantially as described,

and attached thereto, all arranged to operate substantially as set forth.

el. In a ean-seaming machine, the combination, with the bed-framel) and guide E, of the auxiliary guide G, all constructed and arranged to operate substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof we have hereunto signed our names in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

.THOMAS L. SMITH. \VILLIAM S. DOIG. Titnessesz Giro. M. IAYNTAP., I. XV. Teaser. 

